Conference Contributions Research Articles

Advancements and future perspectives in nutrient film technique hydroponic system: a comprehensive review and bibliometric analysis

In the context of climate change, reducing the environmental impact of agriculture has become increasingly critical. To ensure sustainable food production, it is essential to adopt cultivation techniques that maximize resource efficiency, particularly in water and nutrient usage. The Nutrient Film Technique (NFT) is one such hydroponic system, designed to optimize water and nutrient use, making it a valuable tool for sustainable agriculture. This bibliometric review examines the evolution of NFT research from 1977 to 2023, focusing on the growing interest in this method as a solution to the agricultural challenges posed by climate change. Through the analysis of 774 scientific documents, this review highlights an upward trend in NFT-related studies, with a noticeable shift from conference proceedings to peer-reviewed journal articles, particularly in recent years. Acta Horticulturae has been a leading journal in this field, underscoring the significance of early conference contributions. Lettuce and tomatoes have emerged as the primary crops studied in NFT systems, demonstrating the technique’s broad applicability. Research on lettuce has primarily focused on nitrate accumulation and biofortification, aiming to improve both the nutritional quality and safety of the crop. Studies on tomatoes have explored challenges related to oxygen concentration in the nutrient solution, where innovations such as the Nutrient Drip Technique (NDT) and the New Growing System (NGS) have shown promise in addressing these issues. Other key areas of NFT research include the effects of water salinity on crop growth and the integration of NFT with aquaponics systems, highlighting its potential for sustainable, water-efficient crop production. However, challenges such as nutrient imbalances and disease management persist. This review underscores the growing relevance of NFT in the pursuit of environmentally sustainable agriculture. Continued innovation and research are essential to optimizing nutrient management, refining environmental controls, and exploring new crop varieties, thereby enhancing the potential of NFT for sustainable farming systems.

Considering Conference Contributions

Considering Conference Contributions

Preface

This Conference Proceedings volume contains the written versions of the contributions presented during the 79th Conference of the “Associazione Termotecnica Italiana” (ATI). The conference took place on September 4-6, 2024, at the Genoa Faculty of Architecture and in Church of San Salvatore (Genoa). ATI represents the oldest association in Italy that brings together universities, industries, and technical experts in the field of thermal engineering and energy conversion systems. The 2024 edition of the ATI Conference focused on innovation and sustainable development for industry, communities and sport problems and provided a platform for discussing recent developments in a wide range of themes. Technical sessions were organized on the following topics: carbon sequestration and carbon negative applications - clean, sustainable and renewable energy production and storage systems - climate change mitigation in the built environment - efficient energy use and conversion in systems and processes - energy and iaq - energy efficiency in buildings - energy efficiency in sports venue - energy storage systems - hydraulics, pneumatics and drive systems - hydrogen production, transport, storage and utilization - innovation in heat transfer problems - internal combustion engines and sustainable mobility - measurement and monitoring in energy systems - policies to aid the energy transition - refrigeration and heat pumps - safety, resilience, management and control of electrical systems - smart energy systems, smart grid and distributed power production - thermal control in electric and hybrid vehicles - turbomachines. The opening session of the conference included five keynote lectures by Eng. Dario Shariati (KSB Italia, Conference financial supporter), Eng. Amerigo Restucci (Tree Solutions, Conference financial supporter), Eng. Fabrizio Tavaroli (Rina Consulting), Eng. Paolo Bonello (Smart Solutions), Eng. Riccardo Necrisi (Duferco Engineering). The conference contributions were presented through 128 oral presentations, distributed 22 technical sessions, and 34 posters displayed in a dedicated session. More than 210 delegates from the Italian academia as well as the local industrial sector attended the conference. List of Organizing Committee, Scientific Committee are available in this Pdf.

Conference contributions by section members of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI) at international IUSSI conferences (1952–2022) are not in accordance with membership numbers

AbstractScientific conferences are of immense importance to scientists, but the resulting benefits are only available to those scientists who can actually attend scientific meetings. So far, research at scientific conferences is mostly presented and discussed by researchers from the Global North, while researchers from the Global South are largely excluded due to various reasons. Over the past 70 years, the International Union for the Study of Social Insects (IUSSI), which is organized in 11 sections based on geography, has organized 19 international congresses. We reveal a non-equitable distribution of members with researchers from Asia and Africa being under-represented among IUSSI members. During the period from 1952 to 2022 conference contributions at IUSSI conferences came from 79 countries across the globe with members from the African and the South American continent being under-represented. Furthermore, we reveal that it does matter where a conference takes place, as contributions from authors with an affiliation to a particular continent always increase when the conference takes place on that continent. The findings suggest a notable lack of representations from certain regions in key scientific gatherings, highlighting the need for greater inclusivity in the academic community.

Preface

This volume contains the invited lectures and general progress reports presented at 2024 3rd International Symposium on New Energy Technology Innovation and Low Carbon Development (NET-LC 2024). The Conference was held via hybrid form in Guangzhou, China from 29th to 31st March 2024. The motivation for NET-LC 2024 was the need for a detailed consideration of the research and development of new energy and low carbon technologies. The topics of the papers collected in this Proceedings cover but are not limited to the following areas: Renewable Energy Systems, Energy Storage Technology, Energy Materials, Electrical Batteries and BMS, Motor System Modeling and Analysis, Smart Grids, New Energy Vehicles, etc. We hope that this volume will be an important resource of information about the latest progress in new energy and low carbon technologies and will be useful, first of all, for students, but also for researchers and professionals in relevant industries. The Conference was attended by over 300 delegates from Malaysia, USA, India, Denmark, Turkey, South Korea, China, and other countries. It mainly featured opening speech, keynote speeches, oral presentations, poster presentations, closing speech, academic investigation, allowing for a relaxed discussion of research results and facilitating productive academic atmosphere. In the Conference, we had two renowned professors acting as keynote speakers to deliver speeches and share expertise insights based on their own researches for all participants to learn from. Lim Boon Han, Professor of Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman, Malaysia, focusing on high-resolution solar irradiance and its applications to optimize PV power plants design in the tropics, shared his study Bifacial PV System in the Tropics with us. And next, Omid Mahian, Professor of Ningbo University, China, and reviewer for over 100 international journals, having published more than 200 SCI papers, made a report on Nanoparticles and Thermal Systems. While sharing their research experiences and professional insights, they interacted with the participants and answering their questions. And all the speeches were well received, triggering heated discussion. We would like to thank the invited speakers for their participation at NET-LC 2024 and for their efforts writing contributions for this paper volume. We also express our gratitude to the expert reviewers for their careful choice of the conference contributions and enormous effort. Special thanks to the Program Committee members for their efforts in preparing and making the Program. Acknowledgement also to the editors and related staff of Journal of Physics: Conference Series for their time and support in publishing this paper volume. We firmly believe that this successful conference will stimulate further development of the interdisciplinary research fields of energy. The Committee of NET-LC 2024 List of Committee member is available in this Pdf.

Study protocol of the HessenKohorte2042: a prospective, longitudinal cohort study characterising quality of life in people with Parkinson’s disease and their caregivers using a bio-psycho-social approach

IntroductionQuality of life (QoL) is of paramount importance as an outcome to monitor and guide therapies for people with Parkinson’s disease (PwPD). In particular, due to the heterogeneous symptoms that...

Measurement Of Spatial-Temporal Waves In The Laboratory Using Computer Vision Technolog

Given the complexity of ocean wave phenomena, physical modeling continues to be essential in various engineering and research applications. Wave height, a characteristic measured in nearly all projects, is commonly assessed using resistance/capacitance wave gauges. However, a significant limitation of these traditional wave gauges is their point-based nature, which restricts their ability to describe detailed spatial wave characteristics, especially during wave nonlinearity or when waveforms change. Furthermore, to reconstruct the 3D wave field, an array of wave gauges is often employed alongside an appropriate interpolation algorithm. Additionally, wave gauges may alter flow/wave conditions in specific scenarios. To address these limitations, various non-intrusive measurement techniques have been proposed. Gomit et al. (2022) classified these into stereoscopic, projection, and light-based methods, including LiDAR (Blenkinsopp et al., 2012), RGB-D cameras (Martínez-Aranda et al., 2018), and binocular stereo vision (Li et al., 2022). However, their applicability is constrained by factors such as optical setup complexity and device cost. With the rapid advancement of computer vision technology, it is possible to improve these issues and better describe temporal and spatial wave field variations using such techniques. This conference contribution details the reconstruction of the temporal and spatial 3D free water surface using photogrammetry techniques applied to images from consumer webcams. It also compares these results with measurements obtained from a wave gauge.

Improving birth experiences and provider interactions: Expert opinion on critical links in Maternity care.

This article explores the Quality of Provider Interaction (QPI) within maternity care, spotlighting its crucial role in positive childbirth experiences. It emphasizes the need for trust-based relationships between women and their care providers, a necessity amplified by the profound neurohormonal sensitivities experienced during labor. Drawing from the 'Optimizing the birth environment' COST DEVOTION CA18211 Working Group, this article aims to provide insights and stimulate discussion on how to mitigate birth trauma and improve childbirth experiences. The study evolved through discussions on QPI, engagement with the group, a review of COST Action research, and conference contributions, leading to essential recommendations. From our dialogue and evaluation of existing literature, we identified four pivotal aspects critical to enhancing QPI: 1) Empathy and emotional availability, 2) Trauma-informed maternity care, 3) Integrating woman-centered individual and institutional attitudes, and 4) Empowering language use. We examine how these elements influence women's emotional and psychological well-being throughout childbirth and beyond, underscoring their critical contribution. This article proposes a framework to improve maternity care by enhancing the Quality of Provider Interaction (QPI). It offers practical recommendations for refining care protocols and language guidelines, emphasizing the importance of respectful, secure birthing environments. Adopting care models that prioritize high-quality provider interactions is crucial for the well-being of women and their families.

XXI International conference Minom. Rethinking museologies as transformative trans-disciplinary alliances for more just societies

On 20-23 February, the University of Catania hosted the XXI Conference of the International movement for a new museology. The main focus has been how new museology may address today’s social and ecological challenges, and how new actions may be devised in order to promote practices of decolonization, collaborative networks and relations among communities, institutions, localities and disciplines. This paper critically presents the conference contributions to the challenging debate on new museology and the museums of the future.

(Invited) The Stability of Nanomaterials in Electrochemical Energy Conversion, Illustrated on Selected Examples

Energy is the most valuable resource for human activity and the foundation for all human progress. Thereby, electrochemical processes are considered a crucial technology for our future society's energy landscape. Catalysts are fundamental components of these processes, and the ability to control their structure and composition during synthesis is essential for obtaining high-performance and stable catalysts while preserving critical resources. The stability of materials that can endure reaction conditions over extended periods is of immense significance. In nanoparticle systems, typical deactivation mechanisms include catalyst agglomeration, dissolution, coalescence, Ostwald ripening, support corrosion, or poisoning.[1] In this conference contribution, I will discuss the prerequisites for stable electrocatalysts using selected examples. I will demonstrate how the catalyst's environment and support material can prevent degradation based on our recent observations.[2-5][1] Y. Shao-Horn, W. C. Sheng, S. Chen, P. J. Ferreira, E. F. Holby, D. Morgan, Top. Catal., 46, 285-305, 2007, J. C. Meier, I. Katsounaros, C. Galeano, H. J. Bongard, A. A. Topalov, A. Kostka, A. Karschin, F. Schüth, K. J. J. Mayrhofer, Energy & Environmental Science 2012, 5, 9319-9330.[2] D. Göhl, H. Rueß, A. M. Mingers, K. J. J. Mayrhofer, J. M. Schneider, M. Ledendecker, J. Electrochem. Soc., 169, 011502, 2022[3] D. Göhl, A. Garg, P. Paciok, K. J. Mayrhofer, M. Heggen, Y. Shao-Horn, R. E. Dunin-Borkowski, Y. Román-Leshkov, M. Ledendecker, Nat. Mater., 19, 287-291, 2020[4] D. Göhl, H. Rueß, M. Pander, A. R. Zeradjanin, K. J. Mayrhofer, J. M. Schneider, A. Erbe, M. Ledendecker, J. Electrochem. Soc., 167, 021501, 2020[5] M. Ledendecker, S. Krick Calderón, C. Papp, H. P. Steinrück, M. Antonietti, M. Shalom, Angew. Chem. Int. Ed., 54, 12361-12365, 2015

Multimodal Operando Analysis of High-Capacity Electrodes with Photons and Neutrons

High-capacity electrodes such as sulfur cathodes and silicon anodes are promising candidates for sustainable electrochemical energy storage in a post-lithium-ion era. While lithium-sulfur (Li/S) batteries have five times higher theoretical gravimetric energy density (about 2500 Wh/kg) than modern lithium-ion batteries [1], silicon is an interesting anode material for lithium-ion batteries because its specific capacity is ten times higher than that of commercially used graphite anodes. However, despite decades of research, the sharp drop in capacity with the increasing number of cycles is still a major obstacle to widespread technical use of both electrodes. Operando techniques [2,3] are well suited to gaining a mechanistic understanding of the degradation processes. In particular, the simultaneous combination of several independent measurements (multimodal) during the operation of the electrodes allows deep insights into the degradation mechanisms. It enables a more advanced mechanistic understanding of the two complex chemical processes.This conference contribution presents the results of novel experimental setups in which multiple independent measurements were performed simultaneously. Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS), temperature measurement and X-ray imaging or neutron techniques such as neutron small angle scattering and neutron reflectometry were performed over several cycles. Simultaneously, cells were charged and discharged galvanostatically or potentiostatically. Structural changes at the macroscopic and microscopic levels and chemical compositions can be correlated with characteristic signals in the EIS and charge-discharge curves.In particular, imaging and spectroscopic techniques on button cells with X-rays, especially at a synchrotron source, allowed essential insights into the processes in lithium/sulfur batteries [4–8]. But also, applying this characterization method on industrially relevant pouch cells could provide important information about processes in this cell format [9].Neutron reflectometry is particularly well suited for analyzing electrochemical interfaces on silicon electrodes [10], which was also performed in operando mode [11–13]. Furthermore, for this electrode material, important insights into electrode processes could be obtained using operando X-ray spectroscopy and X-ray imaging at the synchrotron [14,15].

Exploring the Potential Contributions of Virtual Academic Conferences in Global and Environmental Public Health

The Article Abstract is not available.

Preface

This Conference Proceedings volume contains the written versions of the contributions presented during the 78th Conference of the “Associazione Termotecnica Italiana” (ATI). The conference took place on September 14-15, 2023, at the Carpi “Polo Universitario” (Modena province, Italy), of the Department of Engineering “Enzo Ferrari” at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia.ATI represents the oldest association in Italy that brings together universities, industries, and technical experts in the field of thermal engineering and energy conversion systems. The 2023 edition of the ATI Conference focused on energy transition problems and provided a platform for discussing recent developments in a wide range of themes. Technical sessions were organized on the following topics: clean, sustainable, and renewable energy production and storage systems internal combustion engines and sustainable mobility, hydrogen production, transport, storage, and utilization, efficient energy use and conversion in systems and processes, energy efficiency in buildings, energy storage systems, hydraulics, pneumatics, and drive systems, energy and indoor air quality (IAQ), measurement and monitoring in energy systems, refrigeration and heat pumps, smart energy systems, smart grids, and distributed power production, thermal control in electric and hybrid vehicles, turbomachines, carbon sequestration, and carbon-negative applications, climate change mitigation in the built environment, innovation in heat transfer problems, and policies to support the energy transition.The opening session of the conference included five keynote lectures by Prof. Marco Baratieri (Libera Università di Bolzano), Ing. Nicola Troiano (Gruppo HERA S.p.A, Conference financial supporter), Ing. Davide Coduri (KSB ITALIA S.p.A, Conference financial supporter), Ing. Bruno Grispino (CPL CONCORDIA Soc. Coop., Conference financial supporter), and Dott. Antonio Panvini (Comitato Termotecnico Italiano).The conference contributions were presented through approximately 80 oral presentations, distributed across 14 technical sessions, and around 30 posters displayed in a dedicated session. More than XXX delegates from the Italian academia as well as the local industrial sector attended the conference.List of Organizing Committee, Scientific Committee are available in this Pdf.

Editorial

Editorial of the seventh annual DHNB Conference Proceedings. DHNB2023 was held online and jointly organized by the University of Oslo Library, The University of Bergen Library, and the Greenhouse Center for Environmental Humanities at the University of Stavanger, Norway from March 8th to 10th, 2023. The conference was shaped by its theme of Sustainability, highlighting and dividing the contributions’ sub-themes of Environment, Community, and Data. This preface provides insight into the planning process and the execution of the online conference. In doing so, it offers insight into the choices made regarding the Conference theme and format and visualizations depicting an overview and analysis of conference participants and conference contributions.

Preface

These proceedings contain the peer-reviewed full papers presented at the 5th International Conference on Maritime Autonomous Surface Ships (ICMASS), held November 8-9, 2023, in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. ICMASS is the conference where leading industry and academia meet to discuss and advance the latest in science and technology in maritime autonomous surface ships. The conference features contributions with clear technical applications as well as more application-oriented results.The theme of this year’s ICMASS is “Autonomy for Sustainable & Green Shipping”, featuring over 50 contributions covering topics such as AI & autonomy, onboard control, remote & shore control, smart ships as part of smart logistics, market uptake, safety evaluations, multi-vessel interactions, collision avoidance, regulatory & legal frameworks, as well as discussions on liability. The papers published in these ICMASS’23 proceedings contain theoretical contributions as well as reports on practical implementations in field labs and industry.A conference such as this can only succeed as a team effort, and, as such, we thank the International Program Committee and the Reviewers for their excellent work in reviewing the papers as well as their invaluable input and advice.On behalf of the organizing committee,Rie B. Larsen, Ørnulf Jan Rødseth, Rudy NegenbornList of ICMASS’23 Organizing Committee, International Programme Committee are available in this Pdf.

Investigations on terthiophene as an electrically conductive polymer for UV laser lithography

Abstract Polymers hold great potential for the use in microsensors and organic electronics. They are highly adaptable, easy to process and can contribute new or improved capabilities compared to semiconductors. Direct UV laser lithography also gains increasing attention. Because it avoids expensive photomasks, it is especially attractive where small numbers of specialized microcomponents are needed, like in prototyping. Lithography necessitates materials, which can be shaped by UV radiation. For many microsensor applications, there is the additional requirement of electric conductivity, preferably in the same material. We approached this demand by combining a Novolak and terthiophene doped with copper(II) perchlorate to form an interpenetrating polymer network, which possesses properties of both of its constituents. From this, we manufactured test structures with the UV laser of a micro pattern generator. In previous conference contributions, we showed a first proof of principle. In this publication, we present results of new experiments that demonstrate the characteristics in more detail. We improved our electrical setup to conduct four-terminal measuring. We used it to first verify previous results and investigated the material’s response to alternating currents up to 10 kHz. We then compared the electrical resistivity of differently sized structures for temperatures between 20 and 90 °C and examined long-term stability of their resistance by subjecting samples to temperatures of up to 60 °C for several hours. Additionally, we tested the influence of UV radiation on the resistance. Our samples exhibited good lithographic qualities. Resistivities were around 2 Ω mm and temperature sensitivity up to −407 Ω K−1. UV radiation induced a partially reversible increase of the electric resistance. The long-term stability of the material was temperature-dependent.

Introducing the New Editorial Team

Introducing the New Editorial Team

Sjoerd Harder: a true ambassador of main group chemistry

Sjoerd Harder (pronounced: sh oo r d, not Sjörd, as most of the German colleagues tend to say and write …!) was born on March 17, 1963, in Grootegast, The Netherlands. Growing up in a village in West Friesland, close to Groningen and the North Sea, probably explains why Sjoerd developed a very strong connection to nature and a passion for sailing, hiking, travelling, seafood but especially good food in general, beer (lekker biertje …), wine and whiskey or distilled drinks in general. In 1981, Sjoerd moved to the centre of the Netherlands to study Chemistry and Physics at the University of Utrecht. He completed his Master's degree in Chemistry with a thesis in organometallic chemistry (Dr. Jaap Boersma) and a thesis in crystallography (Prof. Dr. Jan Kroon and Dr. Jan Kanters) in 1986 with cum laude, which refers to the top 5 % of the candidates in the Dutch academic system. A key moment in his life, which certainly influenced his later highly successful career, was when joining the group of Prof. Dr. Lambert Brandsma, a wizard of organic chemistry – especially using alkali metal organics. Sjoerd defended his thesis entitled “A study on the structure and reactivity of aryllithium compounds with an α- or β-heteroatom” again with cum laude and in 1991 he moved to the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg in Germany as a postdoctoral fellow with a scholarship from the Alexander von Humboldt foundation. In the group of Prof. Dr. Paul von Ragué Schleyer, Sjoerd was introduced to ab initio calculations. In 1992, with a NATO-Fellowship of the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (NWO) in his pocket, he subsequently moved to the University of California at Berkeley (USA) for a second postdoc with Prof. Dr. Andrew Streitwieser, working on heterobimetallic superbases. In 1993, Sjoerd decided to move back to Germany to join the group of Prof. Dr. Hans-Herbert Brintzinger at the University of Konstanz. This postdoctoral period was supported by a fellowship from the Alexander von Humboldt foundation and two fellowships from the European Union (Human Capital & Mobility and Marie Curie). While still in Konstanz, Sjoerd began his habilitation in inorganic and organometallic chemistry, which he successfully completed in 1998. Sjoerd stayed in Konstanz as a lecturer, where he also met his wonderful wife from Ireland, and enjoyed several intermezzi as a guest lecturer at the University of Cape Town (South Africa) before he became C3 Professor of Inorganic and Organometallic Chemistry at the University of Duisburg-Essen in 2004. After five years in Essen, Sjoerd wanted to move on. He declined a W3 position for Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Konstanz and, instead, accepted in 2010 the chair of Molecular Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Groningen, The Netherlands. However, after only two years, Sjoerd decided to move again back to Germany and accepted a chair position in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, where he has been since 2012. Sjoerd has a passion for main group chemistry. He is particularly well known for his inspiring work on Group 1 and Group 2 chemistry. His seminal papers on “The Simplest Metallocene Sandwich: The Lithocene Anion“ (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1994, 22, 1744) and on “Rational Design of a Well-Defined Soluble Calcium Hydride Complex” (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 2006, 45, 3474) and, related to that, “Early Main-Group Metal Catalysts for the Hydrogenation of Alkenes with H2” (Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2008, 47, 9434) were truly exceptional and ground breaking. In recent years, his work has been extended to the activation of aromatic systems and strong C−H bonds by main group metal cocktails, the synthesis and reactivity of low-valent main group metal complexes and sustainable catalytic processes with main group metals. Sjoerd's exceptional scientific productivity is reflected in numerous quality publications, books and conference contributions. For his pioneering work in the field of s-block metal chemistry, in particular alkaline earth metal catalysis, Sjoerd received in 2017 the Schlenk Lecture Award of the University of Tübingen and BASF. This was followed by the Main Group Chemistry Award of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2020. Sjoerd is also known for being an exceptional teacher (especially when it comes to doing experiments …), an enthusiastic lecturer, a very good advisor and a supportive mentor. Apart from being a seasoned researcher, Sjoerd is a warm, humorous and reliable colleague. It was a joy to work with him and we have fond memories of the friday night “Feierabend” beers and the many personal encounters. Thank you for your long-lasting friendship and congratulations on your 60th birthday. We wish you all the best and look forward to many more years of fascinating chemistry emerging from your laboratories. Stephan Schulz Christian Müller The authors declare no conflict of interest.

A Feasible Framework for Maintenance Digitalization

The entire industry is changing as a result of new developments in digital technology, and maintenance management is a crucial procedure that may take advantage of the opportunities brought about by industrial digitalization. To support digital innovation in maintenance management, this study intends to meet the cutting-edge necessity of addressing a transformation strategy in industrial contexts. Setting up a customized pathway with adequate methodologies, digitalization tools, and collaboration between the several stakeholders involved in the maintenance environment is the first step in this process. The results of a previous conference contribution, which revealed important digitalization variables in maintenance management, served as the foundation for the research approach herein suggested. We lead a thorough assessment of the literature to categorize the potential benefits and challenges in maintenance digitalization to be assessed in conjunction with the important digitalization aspects previously stated. As a starting point for maintenance management transformation, we offer a feasible framework for maintenance digitalization that businesses operating in a variety of industries can use. As industrial processes and machines have become more sophisticated and complex and as there is a growing desire for more secure, dependable, and safe systems, we see that this transition needs to be tailored to the specific application context.

Capillary cohesion of different granular materials determined from uniaxial compression and water retention tests

In this conference contribution, we present and discuss the results for capillary cohesion of different granular materials determined through different approaches. First, we consider macroscopic uniaxial compression tests with varying degrees of saturation. Second, we derive theoretical capillary cohesion from the water retention curve (WRC) measured in macroscopic water retention experiments. Finally, capillary cohesion is calculated from air-water interfacial areas and solid-water interfacial areas extracted from CT images acquired during a cyclic water retention experiment. An attempt is made to link the macroscopic results of capillary cohesion based on microscopic insights from CT imaging experiments.